9 Ways to Create a Safe and Dementia-Friendly Home
9 Ways to Create a Safe and Dementia-Friendly Home
How Tunstall Healthcare supports people living with dementia
The design of your home can have a huge impact on your loved one living with dementia. Dementia is a complex condition. It is a neurocognitive disorder defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a performative decline in cognitive behaviours, to the extent of impacting one’s independence in day-to-day living.
According to the Dementia in Australia 2021 Report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, there are up to 472,000 Australians living with dementia, making it the third-leading cause of disease burden in the country. In New Zealand, almost 70,000 people are living with dementia as stated in the report commissioned by Alzheimer's New Zealand in September 2021.
For people living with dementia, common symptoms include confusion, memory loss and disorientation which, coupled with problems with mobility and coordination, may greatly affect safety. Due to impairment and increased risk of injury, home environments must reflect the needs and lifestyles of people with dementia. A few simple changes to an individual’s living situation can vastly improve their quality of life and reduce daily risks.
Here are some significant adjustments that you can make:
1. Ensure furniture is clearly visible
People with dementia may have trouble telling the difference between certain colours. Using bold and contrasting colours helps our loved ones with dementia see the furniture better. This tip is especially helpful for walls and floors or doors and bannisters – the contrasting colours will clearly mark the edges to avoid accidental bumps.
When eating, having plates, cups, and tablecloths that have contrasting colours with the food may be helpful as well. You can also make sure that your toilet seat has a contrasting colour compared to the rest of the bathroom so it is easier to access. As much as possible, avoid strong patterns or stripes in the designs and furniture as these may cause confusion.
2. Keep the house clean and organised
It can be challenging for people with dementia to search for the things they need when there is a lot of clutter around the house. This is why clearing extraneous stuff and providing easy access to the items they need makes it convenient for them to get what they want without exerting a lot of effort and energy. In addition, untidiness can cause a person with dementia to get disoriented and distracted. Thus, removing any unnecessary clutter and cleaning up your home will contribute to your loved ones’ overall comfort.
3. Manage noise levels
Among the five senses, hearing has the most influence on people with dementia. Noise that is acceptable to others may be uncomfortable and disorienting for someone who has the condition. Even walking on laminate or vinyl floors can be too noisy for someone with dementia. You can design your house with carpets, cushions, and curtains to help absorb any background noise. The television or radio should also be turned off when not in use to manage noise levels inside the house.
4. Provide good lighting indoors
When your home is well lit, people with dementia will not have any trouble seeing everything clearly, helping them make sense of where they are. They should have access to natural light so make sure nothing is blocking your window in the morning. At night, however, it is best to have a bedroom dark enough so they can sleep better. Closing the curtains in the evening may also help as reflections in the window can confuse people with dementia. Similarly, you should also cover or remove any mirrors to avoid anything that might distress them if they don’t recognise themselves.
5. Ensure floors are clear and passable
Any trip hazards should be removed such as mats, rugs, or unnecessary furniture. Rugs and mats may confuse people with dementia and they might think they need to step over them, which may lead to accidental falls or trips. The best option for dementia-friendly homes is plain matt floors with a contrasting colour to the walls. You may also opt to avoid any colour that may be mistaken for real things such as blue (water) or green (grass).
6. Provide visual cues to essential items
With memory loss as one of the symptoms of dementia, having visual cues such as labels and signs can help people with the condition navigate their daily life. The signs should be clear and should have appropriate words or photos that contrast the background to help guide them every day. Being able to easily recognise where they are and feel comfortable exploring their environment can help people with dementia to manage feelings of confusion.
When providing a helpful home for your loved one, try to use visually accessible spaces to help them in identifying where they are, where they’ve come from and what they might find in a certain direction. This could mean choosing homes, where doorways look into one another or windows, are easily visible to provide a frame of reference.
7. Understand the possible effects of dementia
Dementia is a highly demanding and tiring condition. Stress exacerbates all of the symptoms of dementia, including anxiety, insomnia, wandering, and aggressiveness. Changes in the surroundings can help alleviate stress. Because each person with dementia is unique, strive to develop solutions that are tailored to them.
Related reading: 10 Early Onset Dementia Signs to Watch out for
8. Find the balance between socialisation and time alone
People with dementia can be easily overwhelmed, but they still need social stimulation to maintain their sense of identity and happiness. That’s why they must have equal opportunity to be by themselves or amongst others. Create spaces in your loved one’s homes that have clearly defined purposes for both social and nonsocial activities. These could include a chair near a bookcase for reading or a window-facing couch for looking out and talking.
These spaces must be comfortable to be inviting to people with or without dementia. That way, they’re equally likely to be used and dementia-related stigma among visitors and neighbours can be reduced. If possible, choose a home near your own or other family members, so that dropping by for a chat can be done easily and frequently.
9. Utilise Assistive Technology
Whether it’s your own home or a care facility, assistive technology can help create a dementia-friendly environment. Assistive technology is any product, equipment, or software that can enhance the quality of life of persons living with disabilities or any health condition. With assistive technology, people with dementia can get a sense of control and independence in their day-to-day life.
Tunstall offers assistive technology in the form of Connected Care solutions such as our wearable personal alarms. These low-profile devices can be worn around the neck as a pendant or on the wrist or belt. Should your loved one feel unsafe for any reason, they can press the button on their alarm to trigger an alert with our 24-hour response centre or an on-site carer. From then, further assistance can be arranged between the client and respondent as necessary via the hands-free speaker and microphone built into the alarm’s hub. If the client is unresponsive, emergency vehicles will be dispatched.
How Tunstall Healthcare supports people living with dementia
The primary goal of a dementia-friendly home is to manage dementia's impact on a person’s life by supporting their functions and abilities to carry out daily activities. In other words, the goal is to maintain the person with dementia's quality of life as much as possible. At Tunstall, we can help develop a tailored dementia-friendly solution for people living with dementia, as well as their carers and loved ones, to help manage risks and provide the appropriate level of monitoring and assistance. To find out more about our products and services, contact us today.
Keep reading: 5 Stimulating and Helpful Home Activities for People With Dementia
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